Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

I'm your cook, not your doctor. ~PAULA DEEN

I found out what the secret to life is: friends. Best friends. ~Ninny Threadgoode

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

A classic, homemade German chocolate cake, except instead of spreading the traditional coconut pecan frosting all over the cake, I've added a new twist of chocolate ganache.

Classic German Chocolate Cake

German chocolate cake is the traditional cake for my son's birthday and even when given a choice of any kind of cake, German chocolate is the one he picks. It is his daddy's favorite cake too, and you gotta admit, made from scratch anybody can see why. Rich, moist chocolate cake filled and topped with a gooey, buttery, decadent coconut and pecan filling - it is just ♫delicious♫.

It is interesting to learn in the history of German chocolate cake that it is not German at all! Instead, it was simply a reader submitted recipe to a local Dallas newspaper back in 1957. This homemaker had baked a chocolate cake using a product called Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate, a product named after Sam German, who developed this chocolate for Baker's Chocolate in 1852. She submitted the recipe to the paper, and the cake quickly became a popular request across the country. As it's popularity grew exponentially, eventually coconut made it's way into it, and over time, the cake was named German Sweet Chocolate Cake, and eventually, simply German Chocolate Cake.

Of course, not being one who is known to leave well enough alone, while I wanted to do this one in the traditional manner - meaning not frosted all over with the buttery cake filling, but left to only being between the layers and on the top - I'm not particularly fond of the traditional way of leaving the edges of the cake naked either. So, after pondering this for a bit, I thought that with the richness and sweet nature of this cake as it stands on its own, a simple chocoate ganache, just on the edges of the cake, seemed the perfect solution.

For the cake, remove the eggs, butter, and buttermilk from the refrigerator and let it all come to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut out rounds of parchment paper by tracing circles using the outside of a 9-inch round cake pan. Butter the cake pans and place parchment rounds into the bottom of each pan; set aside.

Roughly chop the chocolate and place into a small bowl. Pour the 1/2 cup of boiling water over the chocolate and stir until melted and smooth; set aside to cool.

Stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a mixer bowl, using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Transfer the whipped whites to a separate bowl and wipe the mixing bowl clean. In the mixer bowl, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar together until fluffy. Add the reserved egg yolks in, dropping them in one at a time and blending each in before adding the next. Turn mixer to low and add the vanilla, and the chocolate.

Begin adding in the flour 1/2 cup at a time, alternating with the buttermilk and until fully incorporated. Remove bowl and fold in the reserved egg whites until blended in. Divide batter evenly between the three pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Set pans on cooling racks and let cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Turn the cakes out of the pan and carefully peel off the parchment paper, allowing cakes to fully cool on the cooling racks.

When ready to frost the cake, set bottom layer on a serving plate or cake holder and frost the sides with the ganache, if using. Use one-third of the coconut pecan frosting on the first layer. Continue with the next two layers until all are done, finishing with the last third of the frosting on the very top. Garnish if desired.

For the ganache, roughly chop the chocolate and place into a medium sized glass bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream to scalding and pour over the chopped chocolate. Let stand 5 minutes; stir until well combined and smooth. Set in the refrigerator to allow to cool and thicken, stirring occasionally.

For the frosting, in a double boiler, or using a bowl over a heavy bottomed saucepan filled with water, over medium high heat, melt the butter; stir in the milk, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla. Reserve the egg whites for an omelet or other use. Cook and stir until mixture begins to thicken. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the coconut and pecans; mix well. Allow mixture to cool, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Can also refrigerate until needed, giving it a stir on occasion.

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My mom always made me a German Chocolate cake for my birthday. After she died I stopped celebrating birthdays pretty much. A few years ago I told my Hubs why I did enjoy birthdays and about my mom's cakes and lo and behold the man makes me German chocolate cakes for my birthday now! Another reason I adore him!!

I clicked over here 'cuz of the nice message you left at SippitySup. I am so happy to discover that you are a new Mary! I love my regular Marys But there is always room for a new one! Besides. This cake reminds me of my Dad who always asked for it as his B-Day cake. You rock... GREG

Very interesting about the history of the German chocolate cake. I had never heard that before. German Chocolate Cake is one of my favorites as well! I agree, no naked cakes!! Lets cloak them with a heavy veil of ANY kind of frosting! Yours looks lushious! Thanks for sharing!

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